Five years ago, "inappropriate sexual behavior" led Jim Bolin to resign from the Georgia megachurch he founded and led with his wife Robin, also a pastor, for 30 years.
Now Trinity Chapel Church of God in Powder Springs has re-installed Bolin as senior pastor, though the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that "it will probably take months if not years to determine whether the multicultural congregation that grew from five families to 7,000 members over 25 years will ever fully recover."
The Bolins' son, Jason Bolin, had been serving as senior pastor in his father's absence, while he completed a "'restoration process' through the Church of God," as CT noted in 2009.
Jim Bolin isn't the only pastor to step down over adultery, but few receive pardons and return to their same church. However, most National Association of Evangelical board members say pastors can be restored to church roles after marital infidelity. The highest-profile case study: Ted Haggard.
CT previously has reported on how churches can recover after a pastor commits adultery, as well as on accountability groups for Christian leaders in Washington, D.C., where the well-being of one's marriage often impacts voters' decisions.
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